Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A combination mobile terminal and camera comprising: a housing comprising first and second portions, said first portion movable relative to the second portion between first and second positions; a wireless transceiver disposed within said housing for transmitting and receiving signals; a keypad including a first button disposed on the first portion of the housing and a second button disposed on the second portion of the housing, and wherein the first and second buttons of the keypad are aligned when the first portion of the housing is in the first position and are misaligned when the first portion of the housing is in the second position; a camera device integrated into the first portion of the housing and movable with the first portion of the housing between first and second positions.
2. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 1 wherein the first button controls mobile terminal functions when the camera device is in the first position and the first button controls camera functions when the camera device is in the second position.
3. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 1 wherein the second button controls mobile terminal functions when the camera device is in the first position and the second button controls camera functions when the camera device is in the second position.
4. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 1 wherein the first button comprises one of the *, 0, and # buttons of a telephone keypad.
5. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 1 wherein the camera device comprises selectable optics.
6. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 5 wherein the selectable optics comprises an adjustable zoom.
7. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 5 wherein the selectable optics comprises an adjustable focus.
8. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 5 wherein the selectable optics comprises a selectable field of view.
9. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 5 wherein the selectable optical elements are moveable into and out of an optical path within the camera.
10. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 9 wherein the selectable optical elements are electronically moveable.
11. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 9 wherein the selectable optical elements are manually moveable.
12. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 5 wherein the selectable optical elements are moveable along an optical path within the camera.
13. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 5 wherein the selectable optics comprises a movable lens.
14. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 1 further comprising a display, and when the first position is substantially aligned with the second portion of the housing, the camera is oriented substantially parallel to the display.
15. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 1 wherein the camera device further comprises a viewfinder.
16. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 15 wherein the viewfinder comprises an LCD display.
17. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 15 wherein the viewfinder comprises a beamsplitter for viewing images directed through the camera.
18. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 1 further comprising a position sensor to detect a rotational position of the camera device.
19. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 1 wherein the camera device is rotatable 360° about an axis substantially parallel to the keypad.
20. The combination mobile terminal and camera of claim 1 wherein the camera device is rotatable through a range of approximately 90° or more about an axis substantially parallel to the keypad.
21. A method for selectively operating a mobile communications device comprising first and second housing portions, said first housing portion movable relative to the second housing portion between first and second positions, said method comprising: providing a rotatable camera in the first housing portion of mobile communications device for selectively capturing images from a plurality of directions; providing a keypad on the mobile communications device comprising a first button disposed on the first housing portion and a second button disposed on the second housing portion; positioning the rotatable camera in a first position in which the first and second buttons are substantially aligned to operate the mobile communications device in a communications mode; and positioning the rotatable camera in a second position in which the first and second buttons are substantially misaligned to operate the mobile communications device in a camera mode.
22. The method of claim 21 further comprising sensing the position of the rotatable camera to selectively operate the mobile communications device in one of the communications mode or the camera mode.
23. The method of claim 21 wherein positioning the rotatable camera in the first position comprises orienting the camera to be substantially parallel to the keypad of the mobile communications device.
24. The method of claim 21 wherein positioning the rotatable camera in the first position comprises orienting the camera to be substantially parallel to a display of the mobile communications device.
25. The method of claim 21 further comprising disposing selectable optics in the camera.
26. The method of claim 25 further comprising adjusting the selectable optics to adjust a zoom level.
27. The method of claim 25 further comprising adjusting the selectable optics to adjust a focus level.
28. The method of claim 25 further comprising adjusting selectable optics to switch optical elements into or out of an optical path of the camera.
29. The method of claim 25 further comprising adjusting the selectable optics with the individual buttons of the keypad.
30. The method of claim 25 further comprising manually adjusting the selectable optics with actuators.
31. The method of claim 21 further comprising displaying mobile terminal graphics on a display when the camera is in the first position, and displaying camera graphics on the same display when the camera is in the second position.
32. The method of claim 21 further comprising uncovering an objective lens of the camera before positioning the camera in the second position.
33. The method of claim 21 further comprising covering an objective lens of the camera after positioning the camera in the first position.
34. The method of claim 21 further comprising adjusting the selectable optics to move the optical elements along an optical path of the camera.
Unknown
July 21, 2009
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